I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

In a cramped room at the steel rolling mill, the air was stuffy and heavy. Xu Damao sat with his legs crossed in a grand chair, tapping his fingers absently on the table, his eyes piercingly fixed on Liu Haizhong standing opposite him.

"Take off your glasses."

Liu Haizhong paused, then subconsciously raised his hand to adjust his glasses. Before he could even move, Xu Damao frowned impatiently: "I said take them off, so take them off. What are you dawdling for? I get angry every time I see your glasses—what are you pretending to be, some kind of cultured person? I know your background perfectly well. You only graduated from elementary school."

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red, his hand trembled slightly as he took off his glasses, and his voice was barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz: "I...I graduated from elementary school..."

"Higher primary school?" Xu Damao sneered, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. "Is there a difference between higher primary school and primary school? Are you trying to nitpick with me?" He slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang," startling Liu Haizhong, who nearly dropped his glasses.

"Alright, I don't have time to waste with you." Xu Damao stood up, walked over to Liu Haizhong with his hands behind his back, and looked down at him. "Liu Haizhong, you better tell me honestly—when you were the captain of the steel mill's disciplinary team, did you and Master Zhao from the antique shop confiscate old things during the search and seizure? And later, when you were the captain of the street propaganda team, did you secretly keep any gold or silver jewelry?"

Liu Haizhong's face turned from red to white, and his lips moved twice: "No...nothing like that, Xu Damao, you, you're making false accusations..."

"I'm making baseless accusations?" Xu Damao sneered sarcastically, turned around, picked up a piece of paper from the table, and waved it in front of Liu Haizhong. "You're stubborn, aren't you? It's fine, quite a few of your team members have identified and reported you. Do you want me to call them over for a confrontation?"

Liu Haizhong's eyes darted around, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was noticeably weak: "They're framing me. I've handed it all over."

"You handed it over?" Xu Damao slammed the paper on the table, turned around, and fixed his gaze on Liu Haizhong's face like a nail. "Liu Haizhong, I see you're refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. I, Xu Damao, was the head of the special task force in the factory. What kind of tough nut haven't I cracked? Let me tell you the truth, which of the former leaders in the factory wasn't taken down by me? I made them stand and they didn't dare sit, I told them to go east and they didn't dare go west. Who do you think you are?"

As he spoke, he slowly walked behind Liu Haizhong, placed his hand on his shoulder, and his voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling undertone: "Don't forget, our factory has a master craftsman who worked in the torture chamber before liberation. By the way, you found him yourself, right? His skills—you should know them. What, do you want to experience it for yourself?"

Liu Haizhong froze, the color draining from his face in an instant. He tried to turn his head, but his neck seemed rusted and wouldn't budge. His hands began to tremble, first his fingers, then the trembling spread to his entire arms, even his shoulders were shaking slightly.

"You...you...I want to see Director Li!" His lips trembled for a long time before he could only manage to squeeze out these words.

"Give up your illusions," Xu Damao said coldly. "Your actions have greatly angered Director Li. He said it himself: given Master Zhao's example, he is extremely disappointed that you could still do such a thing. He wants you to confess honestly."

Xu Damao patted him on the shoulder, his tone suddenly softening: "Old Liu, Director Li doesn't want to see you because he's afraid of embarrassing you. Don't be afraid. Director Li also said that considering how much you've done for the steel rolling mill lately, he's willing to give you some face. Just confess, hand over the stolen goods, and you can go back to the workshop as an ordinary worker. This matter will be over, and you won't be held responsible for anything afterward."

At this point, Xu Damao changed the subject, his voice turning cold again: "Of course, if you don't know what's good for you, Director Li has also given instructions—I'll handle it myself."

Liu Haizhong's knees seemed to suddenly give way, bending slightly. He lowered his head, remaining silent for a full half minute, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing something bitter. Finally, he nodded very softly and slowly, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "I...I'll talk."

Xu Damao smirked, retreated to his armchair, crossed his legs, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring: "It would have been better to do this earlier. Why did we have to go through all this trouble and waste everyone's time?"

After Liu Haizhong finished explaining intermittently, Xu Damao spat out his cigarette butt, scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper, and pushed it in front of Liu Haizhong: "Sign and put your fingerprint on it."

Liu Haizhong picked up the pen shakily, tears welling up in his eyes. After signing his name, he pressed his red handprint on the paper.

Xu Damao put away the paper, looked him up and down, and suddenly sneered: "Liu Haizhong, you think you can be a leader all day? Dream on! You're just destined to swing a sledgehammer. Go back to the workshop and swing your hammer. Stop having those unrealistic pipe dreams."

Liu Haizhong hung his head, looking like a defeated rooster, his shoulders slumped, making him appear half a head shorter. He remained silent, his lips pressed pale, even his breathing was extremely low, for fear of provoking another sarcastic remark from Xu Damao.

"Let's go." Xu Damao stood up, patted the hem of his clothes, and gestured with his chin toward the door. "Go back to the courtyard house and get our things."

Liu Haizhong suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of pleading: "Xu Damao... Team Leader Xu, please give me some face, let me go back and get it myself, okay? I promise, I promise to hand it all over to you..."

"Go back by yourself?" Xu Damao grinned even wider, as if he'd heard a joke. "Liu Haizhong, what are you thinking? Let me tell you, not only am I going to take you back today, I'm going to let everyone in the hospital see your true colors, Liu Haizhong." He paused, his gaze becoming smug and arrogant. "And let everyone understand that from now on, the only leader in this hospital is surnamed Xu."

Liu Haizhong's lips moved a few times, but he ultimately said nothing, frozen in place like a withered tree. Xu Damao had already opened the door, glancing back at him: "What are you standing there for? Let's go."

Xu Damao was secretly overjoyed—Lou Xiao'e had been driven away by his threats, and Liu Haizhong had also fallen from grace. The continuous stream of good news these past few days made him walk with a swagger, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.